A b o u t  M e

 My name is Lia Martinez-Santamaria.  I was born in North Bergen, NJ, but I practically lived my whole life in a small town in the Dominican Republic.

 Growing up in a third world country has definitely influenced my views on life. While making me very aware of how difficult life can be, it has also made me very grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given in my life.

 Since I was a little girl, I have always felt a bit different from my peers. I thought sometimes I was out of step with the world. I would spend most of my spare time reading and daydreaming, and I would constantly analyze people’s behavior and wonder why they acted they way they did.  As I grew up I started to develop a passion for writing. I would write anything from poems and short stories to my thoughts and opinions about global issues.

 In 2006, when I was fifteen years old, I entered an international literature contest that consisted of writing an ending to a story which had been started by a famous writer. To my surprise and delight, I won first place in the competition and as a prize, I was sent to Madrid, Spain, for a week. I shared my stay in Madrid with winners from all over Latin-America and Europe. This experience was a turning point in my life, since it made me realize that all I wanted to do in life was write. My dream job is to work for a cultural publication like The New Yorker.

 Here at LAGCC, I am majoring in Liberal Arts; Social Sciences and Humanities. I chose this program because I consider it essential to study, analyze and understand the society I am living in, in order for me to write for it and entertain it. After I graduate from LAGCC I am planning to transfer to a four years college where I will be majoring in Communications.